Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Asking for a Little Help

I can hardly believe it's time to head back to school. Where did the summer go?

I went to the school yesterday to get my classroom ready; got all the computers and projector plugged back in and checked out to be sure everything works properly. The waxing crew had come in and the parquet floors are gleaming! We are polished up and ready to go!

Three years ago I used my blog to appeal for help for some supplies; I teach in a high poverty school and my kids seldom have the supplies they need. I like for my classroom to be a comfortable, welcoming place where students feel like something good can happen at any moment. I don't ever want them to dread coming to class or to feel unprepared because they don't have what they need.

I have already spent close to $100 of my own money on supplies: yesterday I went to WalMart and bought hand sanitizer, notebook paper, pencils, colored pencils, rubber bands, staples, paper clips, basic things that run a classroom. I do this every single year.

When I asked for help on this blog three years ago, the response was stunning. For almost two months the school secretary would call my room to tell me I had "another" package from Amazon. I always sent a different student to the office to pick up our new package. The supplies from that appeal lasted three years! We received reams of notebook paper, boxes of tissue, boxes of spiral notebooks and even class sets of novels that we still read.

I need help again.

I'm so excited to begin this year - year number twenty for me. I'm teaching a new course this year (English III) along with my regular English II classes and I have some really wonderful things planned for my students to keep them engaged and enthusiastic about learning.

If you can help us, please look at the links below I've posted from Amazon of the things we need. Every pencil, every book, every package of paper helps - nothing is too small. You can order direct from Amazon and have your purchase shipped directly to the school: it should be addressed:

If you'd rather make a cash contribution, you can use the PayPal link in the upper right sidebar.

As needs are filled I will update this post so you know you aren't ordering something that we've already received.

My students are really good kids and they are grateful for everything anyone does for them. We take advantage of "Stuff the Bus" campaigns and I've used Donors Choose and other similar sites. This direct appeal is what has worked best for us - I mean, last time I appealed to my readers I got enough supplies for three years!

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I am a writer and high school English teacher living in Shreveport. My new book entitled Cane River Bohemia: Cammie Henry and Melrose Plantation, will be published in Fall 2018 by LSU Press. I've been published at The American Thinker, The Shreveport Times, The Bossier Press Tribune and had photographs published in Bayou Bucks magazine, The Forum, and other local publications. I like dogs better than most people.